MASONIC SECRECY
In actuality, there are very few secrets in the Lodge. There are books on Masonry at almost all libraries. There are scores of web sites on the internet that will tell you almost anything you want to know. As a matter of fact, that is how I came into Masonry. Being influenced against Freemasonry by my religious denomination I wanted to find out for myself if everything that was being said was true. I can happily tell you that it wasn’t. In today’s world Freemasonry has no real secrets. If you want to know the inner workings of Freemasonry there are sources available that will tell you everything. As Jim Tresner, a well-known Masonic writer answers the question about Freemasonry having a hidden agenda that is only known to "higher" Masons:
No. The religious position of Freemasonry is stated often and openly, and we've already mentioned it above. A Mason must believe in God, and is actively encouraged to practice his individual faith. Masonry has no "god" of its own. Some anti-Masons have said the we are not allowed to mention the name of God in Lodge. That isn't true -- in fact that is one of the two meanings of the "G" in the square and compasses logo( the other meaning is "geometry"). It is true that we generally use some other term, "Grand Architect of the Universe" is most common, to refer to God. That is done only to avoid giving religious offense to anyone whose faith prefers to refer to God by another name. But the God to whom Masons pray is the God to whom all Christians pray.
Whether or not Freemasonry is a secret society, it is true that we hold some things to be secret. It
might be better to say that we hold some things to be "private."
Freemasonry is a private association made of good decent and moral men. It is not a public association. Since, it is a private association, then its meetings are private. There is nothing un-Christian and anti-Christian about belonging to a private association.
Many organizations have information that they chose to keep private from the public. To not hold some things as private could affect the functionality of the organization, or could cause harm to people outside the organization. It is for this reason that our armed forces hold some information as "Top Secret." This could be information that could be misinterpreted or misused. There are certain things in Freemasonry that binds the members together. The outside world would not understand all that is involved in Masonry unless they could actually experienced it, so it better to keep it a private matter.
Secret societies have been around for a very long time. Some organizations have been good and some have been devious. The charge that Freemasonry is a secret society with insidious intentions is a bald fact myth.
"Secret societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and
Early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them; most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many "secrets." Freemasonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry is a secret society, it's the worst kept secret in the world!
Is it true that the "blood oaths" refer to ghastly and deadly punishments for revealing the secrets of Masonry? Is it also true that a Mason will be hunted down and killed if they talk about the Lodge secrets? Absolutely not. First of all, the secrets that a Mason promises to keep are very reasonable. He will promise to help other Masons and their widows and orphans. He will protect the life of another Mason if at all possible. He will protect a brother Masons family from sexual assault, if at all possible. He promises not to steal from or take advantage of another Mason. He will promise to not allow Masons, who are not recognized by the Lodge to participate in the activities of Masonry. There are a few more things that are involved in the obligation, but nothing more serious that what I have mentioned. There is nothing in the obligation (oath) that should cause a conflict with any ones civil ideals, moral teachings, or religious duties.
The penalty focuses on the idea that even thinking about breaking your obligation should create a tormented conscious. It should be offensive for a Mason to break his word. I am sure that some of you are still asking the question, "Well, what is going to happen if a Mason breaks his oath?" " Will he be cut up or die or horrible death?" No, not at all. It very important to remember that before a Mason takes on the obligation that it is explained to him that while the oath is very important, and should never be broken, that it is entirely symbolic. The obligation is strictly between the person and his God. God is the only one to whom he must give account.
The obligations were developed some time prior to the 17th century and the wording is often very different from today's English. The penalties, while sounding barbaric today were very much a reality in a day where courts and jails were rare. Three centuries ago you could lose a finger or hand for stealing. The penalties, while sounding extreme by today's standards, have never been carried out (at least not to anyone's knowledge). There is not a person, or committee, in the Lodge who has the job of "hit man." Freemasonry can only do three things to punish a Mason. He can receive reprimand, suspension or expulsion.
This begs the question, why bother to keep secrets if anyone can find them out? The answer is very simple (at least to me.) First of all, most people will not make the effort to do the research. Second, even if you end up with a detailed description of what goes on within Lodge you will not be able to understand it. When I came into Masonry and looking for answers, I was told that even if I learn things about Masonry before I was ready, it wouldn’t really be understood because there are just some things that have to be experienced. With my hard head I didn’t want to believe that, but it turned out to be the truth. So why keep secrets? Here is one answer from the web site masonicinfo.com:
It really isn't "secretive," although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins, and tie clasps with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recall the fraternity's early symbolic roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret--picnics and other events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities.
There are two areas of Freemasonry that are kept private. "Private" is probably a better word to use that "secret" because as I said before the secrets are out. The first area involves the mode of recognition. Masons know other Masons when they met them, and know what degree they have achieved. This accomplished by two types of recognition. Masons have "secret" handshakes and "passwords." This may seem silly in our 21st century society, but it wasn’t taken that way when Freemasonry was being the target of religious and political persecutors. Even before persecution was a problem, there were individuals who wanted to find out the secrets of the Operative Masons. Keeping trade secrets (referring to the stone mason trade) was essential in order to protect your income and status. The only way to prevent spies from entering the Lodge was to test them. Freemasons have maintained this custom over the years.
The second "secret" of Freemasonry may be told better by the Masonic Information Service:
The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about "Masonic secrets." They are secrets because they literally can't be talked about, can't be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is helping others.
It's a wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to another person. That's why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you'll understand what we mean.
Under this second category of secrets come certain things that are done in the Lodge. Everything that goes on in the Lodge is not secret. Most of it is considered private. The degrees or rituals of initiation are not discussed. They could be found out easily enough if one wants to go to the trouble. But, having uncovered the wording of the rituals doesn’t reveal the whole truth. The rituals cannot be properly understood without experiencing them. You may learn the swearing in ceremony for the President of the United States, but it will never have the same impact on you as it does the person taking the oath. Masons consider their rituals to be a very private matter, because they are vehicles that help the new Mason to understand what Masonry is all about.
Is secrecy wrong or un-Christian?
". . . there is nothing objectionable or unfamiliar about secrecy, it is a human necessity found everywhere, and often where it is not apparently in evidence it will be found on examination to equal or even exceed that which lies about the gateways of our Fraternity. Nothing is more zealously guarded than the home. The directors of a business corporation keep their deliberations to themselves. Friendship is based on mutual confidence and that means secrecy. Governments are very public in function but they are still obliged to carry on many of their activities behind the scenes." H. L. Haywood, The Great Teachings of Masonry, page 32.
The part of the Lodge activity that isn’t so "secretive" is the Stated Communications. In plain English that means "business meeting" for the most part. Some Lodges meet once a month and some meet twice a month. The meetings usually deal with treasurer’s reports, secretary’s report, committee reports, letters from other Lodges, and charitable opportunities, etc. While there is no reason to hide anything in these meetings it is still preferable to keep them private. It is no different from a corporate officer’s meeting or a Deacon’s Board Meeting at your local church. Every organization has a right to keep their business a private matter.
While we are on the topic of secrecy we will now look at some of myths regarding Freemasonry’s connection to other organizations.